Travelling mine roof support with scraper conveyor for use with mechanical mining apparatus

ABSTRACT

A travelling mine roof support to which a slide in form of a Ushaped upwardly open trough is connected by fluid operated cylinder and piston means so that the slide and the mine roof support may be stepwise advanced toward the mine face during mining of the latter. The slide is constructed to support and guide the upper and the lower run of an endless scraper conveyor and it includes conveyor channel means comprising a guide member having a pair of side wall profiles connected by a transverse wall upwardly spaced from the bottom wall of the trough for guiding the upper run of the conveyor. The guide member is arranged between the side walls of the trough tiltably between a working position in which the transverse wall thereof extends substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the trough and a raised position providing access to the lower run which is guided by a pair of further side profiles located between the transverse wall of the member and the bottom wall of the trough.

nite States Patent [191 Bliimenthal ,et a1.

[ TRAVELLING MINE ROOF SUPPORT WITH SCRAPER CONVEYOR FOR USE WITH MECHANIQAL MINING APPARATUS [75] Inventors: Giienter Bliimenthal, Westerholt;

Reinold Krohm, Herne, both of Germany [73] Assignee: Kloeckner-Werke AG, Duisburg,

Germany [22] Filed: Feb. 28, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 336,891

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Mar. 7, 1972 Germany 2210897 [52] U.S. Cl 198/126, 61/45 D, 198/204, 299/44 [51] Int. Cl. B65g 21/12 [58] Field of Search 198/204, 126; 61/45 D, 61/45 C; 299/33, 34, 43, 32, 44

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,016,994 10/1935 Fleming 198/204 2,590,802 3/1952 Tramblay 198/204 3,357,742 12/1967 Dommann et a1. 299/32 3,458,235 7/1969 Romer et a]. 198/204 3,649,078 3/1972 Grebe et al. 299/32 3,680,682 8/1972 Paul 198/204 l3 I5 27 j 76 ll 4 I2 Oct. 22, 1974 3,691,775 9/1972 Holtrup et al. 61/45 D 3,739,586 6/1973 Wehner et al. 3,770,321 11/1973 Hauschopp 198/204 Primary ExaminerRichard A. Schacher Assistant Examiner-Richard K. Thompson Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Michael S. Striker 5 7 ABSTRACT A travelling mine roof support to which a slide in form of a U-shaped upwardly open trough is connected by fluid operated cylinder and piston means so that the slide and the mine roof support may be stepwise advanced toward the mine face during mining of the latter'. The slide is constructed to support and guide the upper and the lower run of an endless scraper conveyor and it includes conveyor channel means comprising a guide member having a pair of side wall profiles connected by a transverse wall upwardly spaced from the bottom wall of the trough for guiding the upper run of the conveyor. The guide member is arranged between the side walls of the trough tiltably between a working position in which the transverse wall thereof extends substantially parallel to the bottom wall of the trough and a raised position providing access to the lower run which is guided by a pair of further side profiles located between the transverse wall of the member and the bottom wall of the trough.

21 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures FMENIEBIIIIZZIBH $842,966

sum ear 2 TRAVELLING MINE ROOF SUPPORT WITH SCRAPER CONVEYOR FOR USE WITH MECHANTCAL MHNING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor usable in combination with or without mechanical mining apparatus, in which the frame means of travelling mine roof supports are each provided with a base plate adapted to engage the ground of a mine gallery and in which a slide is provided at that side of the base plate which during operation is directed to the mine face, and in which the slide serves as support and guide for at least one run of the scraper conveyor. The slide is connected to the frame means of the respective travelling mine roof support by means of fluid operated cylinder and piston means so that the slide and the travelling mine roof support may stepwise be advanced toward the mine face.

Basically it is known in the art to arrange guide and support means for scraper conveyors between the base plate of a travelling mine roof support and the mine face, but all known arrangements have certain disadvantages, in that they are either complicated constructions or that they do not provide proper access to the lower run of the conveyor so as to facilitate repair of the lower run whenever this should become necessary. A further disadvantage of some known constructions is that it is very difficult to place the upper and the lower run of the scraper conveyor in the appropriate guide means of a slide between the mine roof support and the mine face. An additional disadvantage of such known arrangements is that no provisions are made for guiding a mechanical mining apparatus on the support and guide means for the scraper conveyor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION it is an object of the present invention to provide a travelling mine roof support and support and guide means for the runs of a scraper conveyor located between the base plate of the travelling mine roof support and the mine face to be worked on and which is constructed to avoid the disadvantages of such arrange ments known in the art.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide in such an arrangement a trough-shaped slide for guiding and supporting the upper and the lower run of a scraper conveyor and which is constructed in such a manner that the conveyor runs cannot only be easily placed into the slide but that the lower run of the scraper conveyor is also easily accessible whenever such access should be necessary for repairing the lower run of the conveyor.

it is a further object of the present invention to provide for such a slide and to mount it movable toward the mine face while assuring a stable position of the slide during the operation.

It is an additional object of the present invention to construct the slide in such a manner that the surface thereof directed toward the mine face may properly serve for guiding a mechanical mining apparatus in longitudinal direction of the mine face.

It is yet an additional object of the present invention to provide for an arrangement of the aforementioned kind which is constructed of relatively few and simple 2 parts so that it may be manufactured at reasonable cost and will stand up properly during extended use.

With these and other objects in view, which will become apparent as the description proceeds, the travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor according to the present invention mainly comprises frame means of the mine roof support adapted to engage with a base plate thereof the floor of a mine gallery, a slide in form of a U-shaped upwardly open trough having a pair of spaced side walls and a bottom wall and being arranged on that side of the mine roof support which in operation faces the mine face of the gallery. Fluid operated cylinder and piston means are connected to the frame means and the slide for moving the frame means and the slide relative to each other towards the mine face. The arrangement comprises further conveyor channel means arranged in the aforementioned trough for guiding the upper and the lower run of the scraper conveyor, and the aforementioned conveyor channel means comprise a guide member for guiding the upper run of the scraper conveyor and having a pair of transversely spaced side wall profiles connected at the bottom ends thereof by a transverse wall upwardly spaced from the bottom wall of the trough. Hinge means are provided for hingedly connecting one of the side wall profiles of the guide member to one of the side walls of the trough tiltable between a working position in which the transverse wall extends substantially parallel to the bottom wall and a raised position in which the transverse wall is upwardly tilted relative to the bottom wall. Releasable locking means connect the other side wall profile to the other side wall of the trough so that the guide member is suspended on the side wall of the trough. The lower run of the scraper layer is guided in the space between the transverse wall of the member and the bottom wall of the trough. Preferably, the slide includes a further pair of transversely spaced side wall profiles located between the transverse wall of the guide member and the bottom wall of the trough and fixedly connected to the latter for guiding the lower run of the scraper conveyor.

The further pair of transversely spaced side wall profiles which are fixedly connected to the bottom wall of the trough reinforce the latter in a highly desirable manner. The position and dimensions of the further side wall profiles will not only provide for a perfect guiding of the lower run of the scraper conveyor, but this may also provide an additional support for the transverse wall and the side wall profiles connected thereto which guide the upper run of the conveyor.

The above-mentioned connection of the guide member which guides the upper run of the scraper conveyor has the advantage that after releasing the releasable means the member may be upwardly tilted so that the lower run will be freely accessible to carry out repairs on the lower run, whenever such should become necessary. This arrangementalso permits placing the lower and the upper run in a very expedient manner into the respective guide means provided in the channel means. Preferably, the aforementioned hinge means and the releasable locking means each comprise substantially identical hinge members respectively fastened to the side walls of the trough and the side wall profiles which are connected to the transverse wall and bolts extending through aligned bores of the hinge members so that, depending upon which of the bolts is withdrawable from the bores of the respective hinge members, the

guide member for guiding the upper run may be tilted upwardly on one or the other side wall of the trough.

When the slide is arranged between the travelling mine roof support and the face of the mine gallery which has to be mined, then it is preferred to make the guide member which guides the upper run of the conveyor tiltable towards the mine face to assure that any loose material to be mined will not fall on the lower run during upward tilting of the tiltable guide member and the upper run guided therein.

An especially advantageous arrangement is obtained in which the upper pair of side wall profiles and the lower further pair of side wall profiles are respectively substantially vertically aligned with each other and wherein the transverse spacing of these pairs of side wall profiles is smaller than that of the side walls of the trough so as to define between the inner face of each trough side wall and the outer face of the adjacent side wall profile a free space and in which the hinge means and the releasable locking means are arranged equally spaced from the bottom wall of the trough. This will assure that none of the elements will laterally project beyond the side walls of the trough so that one of the side walls may be used for guiding a mechanical mining apparatus in longitudinal direction therealong. In addition, this arrangement will lead to a proper stabilization and reinforcement of the side walls of the trough so that relatively thin side walls may be provided without the danger of deforming the same during guiding of a mechanical mining apparatus on one of the side walls.

Each of the slides preferably includes also connecting means for connecting the slide associated with one travelling mine roof support to a slide of an adjacent mine roof support for aligning adjacent slides substantially in longitudinal direction, and such connecting means preferably include a pair of connectingelements and supports therefor for each slide located beneath the respective hinge means and releasable locking means in the free spaces between the side walls of the respective trough and the side wall profiles of the guide member of the respective conveyor channel means. Due to the tiltable arrangement of the members for guiding the upper run of the scraper conveyor, the connecting means which are arranged beneath the hinge means are easily accessible during upward tilting of the guide member, and this arrangement will also evidently permit tilting of the guide member in one slide independent of the position of the guide member in the adja cent slide.

In an arrangement in which a plurality of travelling mine supports and slides for guiding the upper and the lower run of a scraper conveyor are arranged closely adjacent to each other, the transverse walls of the guide members in the slides may abut against each other, and preferably a sealing bar is arranged beneath the abutting or nearly abutting end faces of the transverse walls. This sealing bar preferably rests loosely with opposite ends on the further pair of side wall profiles of the conveyor channel means. The sealing bar will prevent forming of an open gap between adjacent end faces of the transverse walls and since this sealing bar is loosely mounted on the lower pair of side wall profiles it can be easily removed when the lower run of the scraper conveyor has to be placed in or removed from the lower pair of side wall profiles.

' The sealing bar has preferably an upper roof-shaped surface and the sealing bar is preferably upwardly curved between its opposite ends so that the spring action of the curved sealing bar will assure a tight abutment of the latter against the transverse wall and therewith a positive closure of any gap between opposite end faces of transverse walls.

Each sealing bar has preferably downwardly extending projections on opposite ends and such projections have preferably convexly curved bottom faces which engage correspondingly curved cutouts in the further pair of side wall profiles which will assure a proper location of the sealing bars even if adjacent slides, respectively the transverse walls thereof, should not be located in a plane.

The support elements of the connecting elements may each be provided with a cutout extending from the upper surface thereof thereinto and the side wall profiles which are connected to the transverse wall may each be provided with a lateral projection located in the respective cutout.

Wall means are also. preferably provided projecting inwardly from the side walls of the trough for closing the free space between the trough side walls and the side wall profiles at the upper end of the free space therebetween. The base plate may have a central projection extending beneath the bottom wall of the trough and the slide preferably includes in this case a pair of skid-shaped support members connected to the bottom wall of the trough and respectively located to opposite sides of the aforementioned central projection.

The central projection may taper towards that side of the mine roof support which during operation faces the mine face and the skid-shaped support members may be correspondingly tapered.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING shown in FIG. 1; FIG. 4 is a partial side view, partially in section, of a pair of slides and connecting means for connecting the same; and

FIG. 5 is a sectioned side view of an arrangement for bridging any gap between end faces of transverse walls of adjacent slides.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 schematically and partly illustrates a travelling mine roof support RS comprising frame means having a base plate 2 adapted to engage the floor of a mine gallery, a shield la hingedly connected to the base plate 2 and a pair of expandable and collapsible props lb connected at the lower ends thereof to the base plate 2 and at the upper ends, not shown in the drawing, to a portion of the shield lla, likewise not shown in the drawing, so as to press the latter against the roof of a mine gallery. Such mining supports are well known in the art and the mine roof support is therefore only schematically and partly illustrated in the drawing. A slide 3 is arranged forwardly of the mine roof support IRS, that is on the side of the latter which during operation faces a mine face F to be worked, shown in FIG. 2 to the left of the slide 3. Fluid operated cylinder and piston means 5 of likewise known construction connect the base 2 of the mine roof support with the slide 3 so that the slide and the mine roof support may be moved relative to each other stepwise towards or away from the mine face F in a manner known per se.

A plurality of such mine roof supports RS and slides 3 connected thereto are usually arranged closely adjacent to each other along the length of a mine gallery and the slides coordinated with adjacent mine roof supports are coupled to each other so that the coupled slides will provide an elongated track for guiding the runs of a scraper conveyor. When the props lb of the travelling mine roof support RS are in the extended position to thereby press the base plate 2 and the upper end of the shield la respectively against the floor and the roof of the mine gallery, the slide 3 may be advanced towards the mine face by feeding pressure fluid into the cylinder and piston means 5, whereas when the props lb are moved to the collapsed position, the connected slides 3 will form anchoring means permitting advance of the mine roof supports by means of the cylinder and piston means 5 toward the mine face. As seen in F IG. 2, one end of the cylinder and piston means 5 is connected by means of a bracket 6 to the slide 3. The base plate 2 may have a central projection 2' on which the slide 3 may be guided during relative movement of the slide and the travelling mine roof support RS in a manner as will be explained later on.

The slide 3 has a pair of side walls 113 and i3 integrally connected by a bottom wall 112 so as to form a trough open at the upper end, which is arranged at that side of the support plate 2 which in operation faces the mine face F of the gallery.

Conveyor channel means are arranged within the trough for guiding the upper run 9 and the lower 9' of a scraper conveyor, schematically illustrated in FIG. 3. For this purpose, the conveyor channel means comprise a guide member for guiding the upper run 9 of the scraper conveyor and this guide member has a pair of transversely spaced side wall profiles h integrally connected to each other at the bottom ends thereof by a transverse wall d, which is upwardly spaced from the bottom wall 112 of the trough. The guide member comprising the side wall profiles 8 and the bottom wall 4 integrally connected thereto is suspended on the opposite side walls 13 and 13 of the trough by means of hinge means l5 connecting one of the side wall profiles 8 to the side wall T3 of the trough and by releasable locking means l6 connecting the other side wall profile 8 to the side wall 13' of the trough. The side walls 113 and T3 may have equal height, but preferably, as shown in FIG. 1, the side wall 113 of the trough has a height which is about twice the height of the side wall ll3 so as to prevent any material which is dropped on the upper run of the scraper conveyor from accidentally falling on the base plate 2 of the travelling mine roof support. The length of the trough 3 is substantially equal to the width of the base plate 2 of the travelling mine roof support. The slide includes a further pair of side wall profiles 11 which are respectively substantially vertically aligned with the side wall profiles 8 and arranged in the space between the transverse wall 4 and the bottom wall l2 of the trough. Each of the side wall profiles 3 and I1 comprises a pair of tapering legs so as to define a channel of substantially triangular or trapezoidal crosssection in which opposite edge portions of the upper and lower run 9 and 9 of the scraper conveyor are guided, as shown in FIG. 3.

Preferably, the transverse spacing of the two pairs of side wall profiles 8 and 11 is smaller than that of the side walls 13 and 13' of the trough so as to define between the inner face of each side wall and the outer face of the adjacent side wall profiles a free space having a width which corresponds approximately to a third or a fourth of the height of the side wall 13 of the trough.

As mentioned before, the guide member comprising the side wall profiles 8 and the transverse wall 4 connected thereto is suspended on the side walls 13 and T3 of the trough by hinge means 15 and the releasable locking means 16. Preferably, the hinge means 15 and the releasable locking means 16 each comprise substantially identical hinge members respectively fastened to the side walls of the trough and the side wall profiles 8 and these hinge members are provided with aligned bores through which bolts 15' and 16 (FIG. 3) respectively extend so that upon withdrawal of the corresponding bolt, the member comprising the side wall profiles 3 and the transverse wall 4 may be upwardly tilted about the other bolt which is left in the aligned bores. Preferably, the hinge means 15 with the bolt 15 are provided on that side of the trough which during operation faces the face F of the mine gallery which has to be mined so that the member comprising the side wall profiles 8 and the transverse wall 4 may be upwardly tilted to the position, as shown in dash-dotted lines in FIG. 3, whenever it is desired to provide access to the lower run 9 of the scraper conveyor which is guided between the side wall profiles ll. In this upwardly tilted position as shown in dash-dotted lines in FIG. 3, the transverse wall 4 will provide a shield preventing any loose material from the mine face from falling onto the lower run 9' of the scraper conveyor. The side wall profiles ll are welded to the bottom wall 12 of the trough, and the side wall profiles 8 may be constructed to abut against upper faces of the side wall profiles ll. The pivot pin 15' of the hinge means 15 is to be arranged in such a manner that when the guide member comprising the side wall profiles 8 and the transverse wall 4 is tilted upwardly to the position as shown in dash-dotted lines in FIG. 3, the thus tilted member will not obstruct movement of a mechanical mining apparatus 7 schematically indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3 in longitudinal direction along the side wall 13 of the trough.

The suspension of the guide member comprising the side wall profiles 8 and the transverse wall 4 on the side walls of the trough has the advantage that this member, which is subjected to considerable wear, may be quickly and conveniently exchanged against a new member, when both bolts l5 and lo are withdrawn.

The hinge means and the releasable locking means 16 which are arranged in the spaces 14 between the side walls of the trough and the side wall profiles 8 and 11 are arranged equally and upwardly spaced from the bottom wall 12 of the trough, and each slide preferably includes also connecting means comprising connecting elements or bolts 17 and support elements 18 therefor arranged beneath the hinge means 15 and the releasable locking means 16, respectively. The support elements 18 of the connecting means are connected to the side wall profiles 11 and to adjacent portions of the trough side walls 13 and 13'. The support elements 18 (FIG. 4) may be upwardly extended to form part of the hinge members of the hinge means and the releasable locking means 15 and 16 respectively, and for this purpose, the upwardly extending portion of each support element 18 of the connecting means may be provided in its upper portion thereof with a cutout forming two prongs 19, whereas the side wall profiles 8 are provided with lateral extensions 20 located between the prongs and these prongs and the lateral extensions 20 are provided with aligned bores extending therethrough for respectively receiving the pins 15' or 16'. The support element 18 on one of the adjacent slides is provided with a projecting portion 18', whereas the other member 18 is provided with a corresponding cavity 18" in which the projecting portion 18' is located when the two slides abut with end faces thereof against each other. The connecting element 17 may include a bolt 17' projecting beyond the projecting portion 18 through a corresponding bore in the support element 18 on the other slide and a nut 17 to be threadingly engaged with the threaded portion of the bolt 17'.

The bolt 16' of the releasable locking means 16 preferably has a transversely bent end portion 16", which, when the locking means is in the locking position is located in a slot provided in the side wall 13 of the trough, and which when the releasable locking means should be unlocked is turned upwardly so that the pin 16' may be moved in longitudinal direction in a slot 26 in the side wall 13 to bring the releasable locking means to the unlocked position.

When it is desired to not only tilt the guide member comprising the side wall profiles 18 and the transverse wall 4 to the position as shown in dash-dotted lines in FIG. 3, but to remove the guide member completely from the trough, when such removal is necessary due to extensive wear of the same, the pin 15' of the hinge means 15 may be constructed and cooperate with corresponding slots as described above in connection with the pin 16 of the releasable locking means.

As shown in FIG. 5, the transverse walls 4 of adjacent slides connected to each other by the above-described connecting means will abut or nearly abut 'with end faces thereof against each other. To bridge any gap between the adjacent end faces of the transverse walls 4, a sealing bar 21 is provided beneath the abutting end faces and the sealing bar 21 rests with opposite ends loosely on pairs of side wall profiles 11. Preferably, the sealing bar has an upper roof-shaped surface 22 which abuts against corresponding surfaces of cutouts provided in the adjacent end portion of the transverse walls 4. Downwarclly extending projections 23, only one of which is shown in FIG. 5, are provided on opposite ends of the sealing bar 21 and these projections have convexly curved bottom faces 24 which abut against corresponding faces of cutouts in the side wall profiles 11 in which the projections 23 are lodged. The sealing bar is preferably slightly upwardly curved between the opposite ends thereof so that when the transverse walls 4 engage the upper surface of the sealing bar, the latter is resiliently pressed against the corresponding surfaces of the transverse walls 4. When the guide member comprising the side wall profiles 8 and the transverse wall 4 is upwardly tilted to replace or remove the lower run 9' of the scraper conveyor between the side wall profiles 11, the sealing bar 21 may be easily lifted from the side wall profiles 11 to provide free access to the space between the latter.

As shown in FIG. 5, the bottom face of the sealing bar 21 is aligned with the bottom faces of the transversely walls 4 so as not to obstruct the free crosssection defined between the side wall profiles 11.

The side wall 13 of the trough which, during operation, faces the mine face, may be used as a guide face for a mechanical mining apparatus 7, for instance a coal planer, as schematically indicated in FIGS. 2 and 3. On the other hand, it is also possible to attach to the side wall 13 a guide 7 for a coal planer or similar mechanical mining apparatus, respectively, for the drive chains of such apparatus. The channel-shaped space 14 between the trough side wallsand the side wall profiles 8 and 11 facilitates provision of fastening means for such a guide. In addition, access to the connecting bolts and similar elements which are arranged in the aforementioned space is facilitated by the tiltable mounting of the guide member comprising the side wall profiles 8 and the transverse wall 4. The mounting of the connecting means 17, 18 at an elevation adjacent to the bottom wall 12 of the trough permits also easy access to the lower run 9' of the scraping means and the connection between adjacent slides may be maintained even if the guide member is upwardly tilted. This greatly facilitates assembly and repair work on the runs of the scraper conveyor.

Wall means 27 are mounted on the side walls 13 and 13 at the elevation of the upper edge of the side wall 13 to cover the channel-shaped spaces 14 between the hinge means 15, respectively the members of the releasable locking means 16. The wall means 27 are welded to the side walls 13 and 13' and form thereby also a reinforcement of the same.

The central projection 2' of the base plate 2 preferably extends in part beneath the bottom wall 12 of the trough and supports the latter. A pair of skid-shaped support members 28 are welded to the bottom wall 12 of the trough to opposite sides of the central projection 2, and these skid-shaped support members 28 rest on the mine gallery floor. The central projection 2' may be tapered in direction towards the mine face, and the skid-shaped support members 28 may have a corre sponding configuration. Such inclination of the upper surface of the central projection 2' and a corresponding inclination of the bottom wall 2 of the slide is advantageous, especially if a mechanical mining apparatus is mounted on the side wall 13 of the slide, as shown in FIG. 2, since in this way the height of loading of the mined material, for instance coal, is reduced.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together, may also find a useful application in other types of travelling mine roof supports and scraper conveyor arrangements differing from the types described above.

While the invention has been illustrated and described as embodied in a travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor for mining operations with mechanical mining apparatus, it is not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of the present invention that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features that, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of the following claims.

What isclaimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims:

1. A travelling mine roof support comprising, in combination, frame meansfor said mine roof support, said frame means having a base plate adapted to engage the floor of a mine gallery; a slide in form of U-shaped upwardly open trough having a spaced side walls and a bottom wall and being arranged atthat side of said base plate which in operation faces the mine face of the gallery; fluid operated cylinder and piston means connected to said frame means and said slide for moving said frame means and said slide relative to each other towards and away from said mine face; a scraper conveyor having an upper and a lower run; and conveyor channel means arranged in said trough for guiding said upper and said lower run of said scraper conveyor, said conveyor channel means comprising a guide member for guiding said upper run of said scraper conveyor and having a pair of transversely spaced side wall profiles connected at the bottom ends thereof by a transverse wall upwardly spaced from said bottom wall of said trough, hinge means for hingedly connecting one of the side wall profiles of said guide member to one of said side walls of said trough tiltable about a substantially horizontal axis between a working position in which said transverse wall extends substantially parallel to said bottom wall and a raised position in which said transverse wall is upwardly tilted, and releasable locking means for connecting the other side wall profile to the other wall of said trough, the lower run of said scraper conveyor being guided in the space between said transverse wall of said member and said bottom wall of said trough.

2. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 1, and including a further pair of transversely spaced side wall profiles located between said transverse wall of said guide member and said bottom wall of said trough and fixedly connected to the latter for guiding the lower run of said scraper conveyor.

3. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 2, wherein the pair of side wall profiles connected by said transverse wall and said further pair of side wall profiles are respectively substantially vertically aligned with each other, and wherein the transverse spacing of said pairs of side wall profiles is smaller than that of said side walls of said trough so as to define between the inner face of each trough side wall and the outer face of the adjacent side wall profiles a free space.

l. A travelling mine roof support with ascraper conveyor as defined in claim 1, wherein said one side wall profile of saidguidemember ishingedly connected to an upper endportion of said one side wall which in operation faces the mine face.

5. A travelling mineroof support with a scraper conveyor as definedin claim .3, wherein said one side wall profile of said guide member ishingedly connected to an upper end .portionof said trough side wall which in operation faces the mine face, and wherein said hinge means and said releasable locking means are equally spaced from the bottom wall of the trough and located respectively in the free spaces between the inner face of the respective side wall and the outer face of the side wall profile adjacent thereof.

t5. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyoras defined in claim l, wherein said one side wall of said trough has an outer face forming a guide face for a mechanical mining apparatus.

7. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as definedin claim 4 wherein said one side wall of said trough has an outer face and including guide means connected to said outer face for guiding operating chains of a mechanical mining apparatus.

d. A travelling mine .roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 5, and including connecting means for connecting the slide associated with one travelling mine roof support to a slide of an adjacent mine roof support for aligning the slides substantially in longitudinal direction.

9. A travelling :mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 8, wherein said connecting means are arranged and fastened to the respective slide beneath said hinge means and said releasable locking means so as to permit tilting of the respective guide member between said working and said raised position.

llll. A travelling mine roof support with a scraperconveyor as defined in claim 2, wherein said transverse wall has a pair of opposite end faces extending transverse to the elongation of said conveyor channel means, and wherein at least one of said end faces abuts against a corresponding end face of conveyor channel means in aslide associated with another travelling mine roof support, and including a sealing bar beneath the abutting end faces, said sealing bar resting with opposite ends loosely on the further pairs of side wall profiles of said conveyor channel means of adjacent slides.

12. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 11, wherein said sealing bar has a pair of upper surface portions including an obtuse angle with each other.

13. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper bar is upwardly curved between its opposite ends.

14. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 13, wherein the abutting end portions of said transverse walls are provided with cutouts tapering in a direction away from the respective end faces thereof, and wherein said sealing bar extends into said cutouts.

15. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 11, and including downwardly extending projections on opposite ends of said sealing bar, said projections having convexly curved bottom faces, and the further pairs of side wall profiles of adjacent slides being provided with corresponding cutouts in which said projections are lodged.

16. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 10, wherein said support elements of said connecting elements are respectively fastened to said further pairs of side wall profiles and the respective adjacent walls of said trough.

17. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 16, wherein said hinge means and said releasable locking means comprising substantially identical hinge members respectively fastened to said side walls of said trough and to said side wall profiles which are connected to said transverse wall, and bolts extending through aligned bores of said hinge members, at least the bolt of said locking means being withdrawable from the bores.

18. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 16, wherein said support elements are each provided with a cutout extending from the upper surface thereof thereinto, and wherein said side wall profiles which are connected to said transverse wall are each provided with a lateral projection located in the respective cutout.

19. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 10, and including wall means projecting inwardly from said side walls of said trough for closing the free spaces between said trough side walls and the side wall profiles at the upper end of said spaces.

20. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor asdefined in claim 1, wherein said base plate has a central projection extending beneath said bottom wall of said trough, and including a pair of skid-shaped support members connected to said bottom wall of the trough and respectively located to opposite sides of said central projection.

21. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 20, wherein said central projection has an upper downwardly inclined surface so as to taper toward that side of said mine roof support which during operation faces the mine face, and wherein said skid-shaped support members are correspondingly tapered. 

1. A travelling mine roof support comprising, in combination, frame means for said mine roof support, said frame means having a base plate adapted to engage the floor of a mine gallery; a slide in form of U-shaped upwardly open trough having a spaced side walls and a bottom wall and being arranged at that side of said base plate which in operation faces the mine face of the gallery; fluid operated cylinder and piston means connected to said frame means and said slide for moving said frame means and said slide relative to each other towards and away from said mine face; a scraper conveyor having an upper and a lower run; and conveyor channel means arranged in said trough for guiding said upper and said lower run of said scraper conveyor, said conveyor channel means comprising a guide member for guiding said upper run of said scraper conveyor and having a pair of transversely spaced side wall profiles connected at the bottom ends thereof by a transverse wall upwardly spaced from said bottom wall of said trough, hinge means for hingedly connecting one of the side wall profiles of said guide member to one of said side walls of said trough tiltable about a substantially horizontal axis between a working position in which said transverse wall extends substantially parallel to said bottom wall and a raised position in which said transverse wall is upwardly tilted, and releasable locking means for connecting the other side wall profile to the other wall of said trough, the lower run of said scraper conveyor being guided in the space between said transverse wall of said member and said bottom wall of said trough.
 2. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 1, and including a further pair of transversely spaced side wall profiles located between said transverse wall of said guide member and said bottom wall of said trough and fixedly connected to the latter for guiding the lower run of said scraper conveyor.
 3. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 2, wherein the pair of side wall profiles connected by said transverse wall and said further pair of side wall profiles are respectively substantially vertically aligned with each other, and wherein the transverse spacing of said pairs of side wall profiles is smaller than that of said side walls of said trough so as to define between the inner face of each trough side wall and the outer face of the adjacent side wall profiles a free space.
 4. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 1, wherein said one side wall profile of said guide member is hingedly connected to an upper end portion of said one side wall which in operation faces the mine face.
 5. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 3, wherein said one side wall profile of said guide member is hingedly connected to an upper end portion of said trough side wall which in operation faces the mine face, and wherein said hinge means and said releasable locking means are equally spaced from the bottom wall of the trough and located respectively in the free spaces between the inner face of the respective side wall and the outer face of the side wall profile adjacent thereof.
 6. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 4, wherein said one side wall of said trough has an outer face forming a guide face for a mechanical mining apparatus.
 7. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 4, wherein said one side wall of said trough has an outer face and including guide means connected to said outer face for guiding operating chains of a mechanical mining apparatus.
 8. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 5, and including connecting means for connecting the slide associated with one travelling mine roof support to a slide of an adjacent mine roof support for aligning the slides substantially in longitudinal direction.
 9. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 8, wherein said connecting means are arranged and fastened to the respective slide beneath said hinge means and said releasable locking means so as to permit tilting of the respective guide member between said working and said raised position.
 10. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 3, and including connecting means for connecting the slide associated with one travelling mine roof support to a slide of an adjacent mine roof support for aligning the slides substantially in longitudinal direction, said connecting means including a pair of connecting elements and support elements for each slide and located beneath the respective hinge means and releasable locking means in the free spaces between the side walls of the respective trough and the side wall profiles of the guide member of the respective conveyor channel means.
 11. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 2, wherein said transverse wall has a pair of opposite end faces extending transverse to the elongation of said conveyor channel means, and wherein at least one of said end faces abuts against a corresponding end face of conveyor channel means in a slide associated with another travelling mine roof support, and including a sealing bar beneath the abutting end faces, said sealing bar resting with opposite ends loosely on the further pairs of side wall profiles of said conveyor channel means of adjacent slides.
 12. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 11, wherein said sealing bar has a pair of upper surface portions including an obtuse angle with each other.
 13. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 12, wherein said sealing bar is upwardly curved between its opposite ends.
 14. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 13, wherein the abutting end portions of said transverse walls are provided with cutouts tapering in a direction away from the respective end faces thereof, and wherein said sealing bar extends into said cutouts.
 15. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 11, and including downwardly extending projections on opposite ends of said sealing bar, said projections having convexly curved bottom faces, and the further pairs of side wall profiles of adjacent slides being provided with corresponding cutouts in which said projections are lodged.
 16. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 10, wherein said support elements of said connecting elements are respectively fastened to said further pairs of side wall profiles and the respective adjacent walls of said trough.
 17. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 16, wherein said hinge means and said releasable locking means comprising substantially identical hinge members respectively fastened to said side walls of said trough and to said side wall profiles which are connected to said transverse wall, and bolts extending through aligned bores of said hinge members, at least the bolt of said locking means being withdrawable from the bores.
 18. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 16, wherein said support elements are each provided with a cutout extending from the upper surface thereof thereinto, and wherein said side wall profiles which are connected to said transverse wall are each provided with a lateral projection located in the respective cutout.
 19. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 10, and including wall means projecting inwardly from said side walls of said trough for closing the free spaces between said trough side walls and the side wall profiles at the upper end of said spaces.
 20. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 1, wherein said base plate has a central projection extending beneath said bottom wall of said trough, and including a pair of skid-shaped support members connected to said bottom wall of the trough and respectively located to opposite sides of said central projection.
 21. A travelling mine roof support with a scraper conveyor as defined in claim 20, wherein said central projection has an upper downwardly inclined surface so as to taper toward that side of said mine roof support which during operation faces the mine face, and wherein said skid-shaped support members are correspondingly tapered. 